Abhanga 1328
English: Let jāṇa-paṇa stay on Deva's head — we are good as not-knowing.
The verse
जाणपण बरें देवाचे शिरीं । आम्ही ऐसीं बरीं नेणतीं च ॥१॥ देखणियांपुढें रुचे कवतुक । उभयतां सुख वाढतसे ॥ध्रु.॥ आशंकेचा बाधा नाहीं लडिवाळां । चित्त वरि खेळा समबुद्धि ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे दिशा मोकळ्या सकळा । अवकाशीं खेळा ठाव जाला ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Let jāṇa-paṇa stay on Deva's head — we are good as not-knowing. Before the seer, kavutuka pleases — both-sided sukha grows. No doubt-impediment for the laḍivāḷa — the citta plays on top with samabuddhi. Tuka says: all directions open — in avakāśa, play finds its ṭhāva.
मराठी: जाणपण देवाच्याच शिरीं असोतच — आम्हीं अशीं — नेणतीं असण्यांत बरीं. देखणार्या (देवा) पुढें — कवतुक रुचतें — दोघांना-च सुख वाढतें. लडिवाळास (लाडवाला) — आशंकेचा बाधा नाहीं — चित्त वरीच खेळतें — समबुद्धीनें. Tukā म्हणे — सकळ दिशा मोकळ्या — अवकाशींच खेळायला ठाव-च.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| जाणपण बरें देवाचे शिरीं | "let jāṇa-paṇa (knowing) be — on Deva's śira (head)" |
| आम्ही ऐसीं बरीं नेणतीं च | "we — are good (barīm) — as nēṇatīm (not-knowing)" |
| देखणियांपुढें रुचे कवतुक | "before the seer (dēkhaṇī) — kavutuka (wonder / sport) is rucē (pleasing)" |
| उभयतां सुख वाढतसे | "both-sided (ubhayatām) sukha grows" |
| आशंकेचा बाधा नाहीं लडिवाळां | "no āśankā-impediment for the laḍivāḷa (pampered/coddled child)" |
| चित्त वरि खेळा समबुद्धि | "citta plays on top — with samabuddhi" |
| दिशा मोकळ्या सकळा | "all directions (sakaḷā diśā) — mōkaḷyā (open / free)" |
| अवकाशीं खेळा ठाव जाला | "in avakāśa (space / leisure) — play has its ṭhāva" |
What it means
Knowing-on-Deva's-head abhang. The opening: jāṇapaṇa baravēm Devācē śirīm — let jāṇa-paṇa (the knowing) be (kept) on Deva's head. The Marathi idiom X tujhē mastakīm / śirīm (X be on your head = X is your responsibility) — Tuka transfers the entire-burden-of-knowing to Deva.
The corresponding stance: āmhī aisīm barīm nēṇatīm chi — we are good (barīm) — as not-knowing. Compare 1213's nēṇatām chi bhalā dāsa tujhā — your dāsa is better as the unknowing one.
The image: dēkhaṇiyāmpuḍhē rucē kavutuka — ubhayatām sukha vāḍhatasē — before the seer, kavutuka (wonder, sport, play) pleases — both-sided sukha grows. When the bhakta plays kavutuka before Hari, both parties' sukha grows — Hari delights in watching, the bhakta delights in playing.
Āśankēcā bādhā nāhīm laḍivāḷām — no āśankā-impediment for the laḍivāḷa (the pampered, the baby-being-coddled). The pampered child doesn't suffer doubt; he's confident in being loved.
The closing — diśā mōkaḷyā sakaḷā — avakāśīm khēḷā ṭhāva jālā — all directions open — in avakāśa (space), play finds its place. Once knowing-is-Deva's-job, all directions are open to the bhakta; play finds room.
[T]
For someone today
For today: let knowing stay on Deva's head; play before him as a laḍivāḷa-child; in the avakāśa of not-needing-to-know, play finds its space.
Where this applies
- Knowing-on-Deva's-head.* Jāṇapaṇa-Devācē-śirīm.
- Good-as-not-knowing.* Barīm-nēṇatīm-chi.
- Both-sided-sukha-grows.* Ubhayatām-sukha-vāḍhatasē.
- No-doubt-impediment-for-pampered.* Āśankēcā-bādhā-nāhīm-laḍivāḷām.
- Play-finds-place-in-avakāśa.* Avakāśīm-khēḷā-ṭhāva.